I started this semester off with a different perspective than I had last semester. Last semester I was too focused on classes and was not able to balance my social and academic life. This semester, I decided to benefit from Georgetown’s social and extracurricular resources as well as its academic resources. The beginning of Flourishing class, I was a little confused because I realized that the course is more based on mental health than it is on sociology, which is my major.
However, the moment we were assigned to read the Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything there was a spark of interest in me. I still remember the steps of the Examen and try to implement them into my daily life. Although I always knew the significance of taking care of myself as a student, I disregarded some factors of healthy living because I saw them as my mother’s advice rather than facts supported by scientific data. I am glad that in this class we got to look at research articles and scientific books. All of the data came together and showed evidence for all of the advice we have all been getting since we started high school.
Possibly the most important example of the numerous advices we get is the importance of sleep. I always knew that I would be cranky if I did not get enough sleep, but I did not know the actual biological impact of sleep on my brain. After watching informative videos and reading scientific articles on sleep, I started tracking my sleep schedule more. I put sleep above late night studying or social life. I feel so much better. The surprising result is the improvement in my performance in the gym and my overall physical well-being. Although I have always been very athletic, I do not get sugar cravings anymore and my weight does not fluctuate easily. I feel much more focused when I want to focus intensely on a task, yet I am also much more energetic. Therefore, I exercise more frequently, which in turn helps with the quality and quantity of the sleep I get. It turned into a positive cycle that improves my physical and mental well-being.
Moreover, during one of the last lessons, Professor Styles read a passage from the book Notes to Myself. This was a time when I was feeling overwhelmed about summer internships and what I wanted to be. I was lost because Georgetown definitely changed me into being more involved in the mainstream popular culture. I feared that I had lost the side of me that was a vegetarian indie folk musician and that I turned into a corporate sell-out. This is funny because now I know that it is an exaggeration. The passage from the book reminded me to do things for myself. And the TED talk about making decisions reminded me that I had the power to create reason. I could study economics, which I am genuinely interested in, with a reason that I create. Also, I can always be a hippie musician who works in a corporate bank. Labels are dangerous and restricting, especially when someone is placing them on themselves.
The former is a conclusion I came to after a few months of struggling with my identity. And Flourishing provided me with resources that assisted me in coming to that healthy conclusion.
