The Stressed-Out Survival Guide

Among all the horrors of a hard-working college student, stress is always at the top of the list. Stress has its affects on every aspect of a person’s life. It emotionally exhausts them, psychologically fills them with anxiety, and physically makes them sick to their stomachs. It seems that week after week with no relief, stress has become a never-ending cycle. It has become who the student is. They no longer see a positive future, only an overwhelmed present.

For the third video project focused on a problem and a solution, I thought it very fitting to choose stress. Everyone experiences it at one time or another so it is a highly relevant topic. It can be paralyzing to the point where many people do not understand the proper way to handle it. In this video I wish to demonstrate what stress really does to a person’s overall wellness as well as educate them how to manage it. Since stress can be frightening I chose to handle the topic in a more light-hearted way. Although it is humorous at times I still wanted it to be highly informative.

Since we had to use a skit to display the problem, I decided to use many short clips of all the mini-problems that play into the general problem of stress. I think this is an effective way to display the problem as well as the solutions. Personally, I believe this is an advantage because it is different and not a typical sort of skit. Another advantage I make sure I include in all my videos is to be informative. Yes, you are supposed to entertain your audience, but it is equally as important to teach them something and leave them thinking.
My number one disadvantage with this video project was my time management skills. I never have an issue with managing myself but since it is the end of the semester, I am loaded with work. I kept putting the video off and had to work very quickly the last few days before it was due! Watch, enjoy and learn!

Campus Safari #13: Off to the "Write" Start

With the end of the semester approaching, I am loaded with projects, papers and final exam preparations. For my Philosophy class we have one final big assignment, which is an Argumentative Essay. It is not an overall long or difficult assignment but I want it to be something different than I normally write. For this week’s Campus Safari I scheduled an appointment with the Writing Center to get off on a good start with this paper. My experience was extremely helpful. I received a few handouts with general writing tips, which can be beneficially used in any of my classes here at SCSU. I also learned how to make my writing more distinctive which is exactly what I wanted. The process of everything is really simple. You can either go to the center or call ahead of time to make an appointment. The Writing Center is located on the bottom floor of Engleman and has different but convenient hours each day. There is no doubt that I will take advantage of this resource any time I need some extra help on any assignment! 

Hours for Fall 2012:

Monday: 10:30-7:00

Tuesday: 10:30-6:00

Wednesday: 11:00-7:00

Thursday: 10:30-6:00

Friday: 10:30-1:00

The Power of a Creative Mind

Creativity is a gift that can be lost in a blink. It must be celebrated and nurtured. It is the outpouring of all ideas, thoughts, emotions and desires. These abstract ideas are transformed into something concrete and beautiful through a person’s tireless creative efforts. Everyone has the inherent gift that allows this to happen but many allow other distractions to get in the way from expressing it. Some cultures do not praise for creativity so it is often lost with age. It comes from deep inside your mind and heart, and only if it is freed will it truly manifest itself.

By flipping to any one, single page of Twyla Tharp’s book, the reader can learn a lesson. These lessons key into our own, individual creative habits. Since creativity is innately in each of us, it is habitual. We can make it our livelihood and base our decisions each day off of it. We can allow our creative ingeniousness to overcome our minds so that everything that we do and say is purely from the deep thoughts of our minds. Creativity is so vital to who we are, it must be embraced.

After reading chapter after chapter of The Creative Habit one quotation, from the very first pages of the book, has always stuck in my mind. “Everything is raw material. Everything is relevant. Everything is usable. Everything feeds into my creativity. But without proper preparation, I cannot see it, retain it, and use it.” To me, this quotation is the epitome of what it means to be creative. A creative individual takes advantage of what is around them. Inspiration is everywhere but not all recognize that. If a person is open to their environment, they are openly allowing themselves to be creative. One of the main barriers to creativity is fear. If we accept our fears for what they are and not let them manipulate our lives, we are letting everything around us inspire us. Both good and bad. Everything can be learned from and everything is important. In this way, we understand that inspiration is not a divine miracle but an everyday experience if we allow ourselves to embrace it.

These ideas can be incorporated into any lifestyle. A person does not need to be in an art career to allow creativity to flow out of everything they do. Creativity is relevant and a vital key to problem solving. Creative thinkers have an advantage in the workplace because they know how to think outside the box and step away from what is literal reality. Although I do not believe creativity can be taught, as a society we can make more of an effort to show how important creativity is. Many jobs become obsolete with time but creativity will never go out of style. It is the link between the past and our bright futures. Only with creativity may we succeed. 

Autonomy and Self-Determination

In each and every one of our lives we have a choice: to have full control of our lives or allow others to control it. Some may find it comforting and easy to just follow the same path that others have done before them. They may think it is the “right thing to do” because it keeps them in their comfort zone. This can manifest itself in the form of codependency or even as having a lack of ambition. In contrast a person can be fully involved in every aspect of their lives. They take initiative and are intrinsically motivated. They are the epitome of self-determination and autonomy.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, autonomy is defined as “the condition or right of a state, institution, group etc. to make its own laws or rules and administer its own affairs; self-government, independence.” Although that definition sounds like something straight out of the Constitution, it can be applied to any person’s life. It is explaining that every person has the ability to make his or her own “rules.” Rules on how they wish to lead their life and where they wish to go. The whole idea of autonomy is centered on the idea of independence. Although it is important to be able to work with others when necessary, it is even more important to be self-reliant. When push comes to shove, it’s your life and you should have full control over it.

Like previously stated, another important aspect of autonomy is the idea of self-determination. The Oxford English Dictionary defined this as “determination of one’s mind or will by itself.” This definition hones in and sums up the whole purpose of our INQ class. This class has taught us to be more self-sufficient now that we are in college. There is much more that is expected of us and only with self-determination in both our mind and heart will we be successful.

From our INQ trip to the library, I learned many helpful tips for using the library resources for research. Since I was in first grade I have been learning how to find books at the library according to call number but I what I took out from this experience was much more than that. I learned how to take advantage of all the resources Southern has to offer. I believe the point of the assignment that was given was to see how autonomy could be integrated into any aspect of our lives. For example, I can now take it upon myself to do research, easily and efficiently, without any real help at all by using the library resources. This allows me to be independent and self-reliant as a first-year student. This will be very beneficial for the rest of my educational career and beyond. 

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, 

I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference."

 -Robert Frost

Campus Safari #1: A Meeting with Dr. Stevenson

For our Philosophy class we had to schedule individual meetings with our Professor to discuss our Midterm Exam and a recent Critical Essay we wrote. I thought this would be a perfect time to gather some more information and talk to Dr. Stevenson for this week’s Campus Safari. His office is located in ENG D211 in the Philosophy Department and is most easily reached by his email, stevensong1@southernct.edu. In our meeting I asked him what he is looking for specifically in the upcoming debates we will be having. He responded by saying that clarity is important as well as staying true to your side. He also said that he would be grading us individually about how well we are educated in our viewpoint. Secondly, I asked him about an Argumentative Essay he recently assigned. He said that it does not matter what you think but WHY you think that. He really stresses the concept of backing up your values and having examples as evidence. These ideas will be helpful in other courses as well. Overall, he is a super friendly professor who is highly educated in his field. Philosophy is not so easily understood but he makes it possible for you to do well.