|f^ HOLIDAY EXPECTATIONS %
by Launn0 She**
As i wok away i 'eel apdinmy stomach i have
' one week to spend at home w*th my 'am«y and
i every year i try to got up tor tt,! try and make rt a
good one The key word here is try' Every year i am
' d supported My expectatrons of o fun hot day
i season are squelched tt becomes more of a week
long suvtval course than the happy famiy experi
1 eoce that ts portrayed in an the movies and that
i most ot my friends tak about I dread coming
j bock to school, the questions • so how was it" DO
you have a great tme1 If only they knew - it was
1 horrtke l felt ike a little kid agun who cockin'* do
( anything fight. I fe* Dock into old patterns that I
1 thought l was long »nce past and somehow i end
ed up feemg temple about the ho*day obocf my
set and about my 'amity Oh there were good
moments but a! in as somehow i lost a piece of
myself
Gorvg home far the hoidays s revered n our so
oety m songs moves greeting cards and <r ou'
everyday assumptions of how the world should be
but for many people going home s a cffflcUt tme
a tme of fensron and many mixed feeings first
oft ore the expectations of hav.ng a good tme
and the ever present hope that thus time, this holi
day. things wit be better, thrigs wil work out Then
there i$ the mere facf that hoidays brag ’oge'her
most tf not all of the famty with' as o* the • oxpecta
t»or« arid Quirks Add to the. traditional ••*.»<i<s the
shoUds of participation 'he m es away from
yoyr t ends and/or partner and the week con be
come a bmrrrrrrTrrrrri
Won let s step back for o minute To start with
what are you expectations for the holidays9 s t
something you are doing for yourse' you parents
you partner9 What have you past hoidays been
ike9 Chances are this one will not be much d-f*er
ent unless YOU make some changes The first
change that you can make s becoming aware of
how you feel about different parts of the holiday
season What ore the puts you Ike and dsike9 If
you had o choice which puts woUd you choose
to participate >n9 If any9 Who in the family can
you connect with9 Who listens to you9 Where do
you feei sa'e usd supported9 Sometimes * s dif*
cut! to make basrc decisions about what to in
cade in a holday because we automatically os
sune we ue ’ne'e for the auction fu example
'he part that1 realty love is the quiet ’-me after d"
net when I'l get a chance to tak with my cousif
Pe?e who is also struggling w*h 'amity stuff and
s away at scnooi Pack east I don't ge' a chance
to see him much and it's great to have somebody
n the family who understands at east a i ttte pit
about me What really don't wont to take pa** "
s the before dinner social where * seems every
body a asking me when am gang to be bvsrvng
school, why i am stii single and commenting about
how i don't come home as much as I used to while
•he rest of the family frantccky runs uound trying
*o ge' dinner ready and Uncle Bon s r *h© vng
room, having had a little too much to a-"* and
tolrng his "mildly racist sexsr homophobe jokes
agon But you know think coud eve" handle
"ie before dirx'er sex ai if i had’ ‘ come home *ve
days ahead o* time to hep my mom Ana then o*
cou»se there are 'he *wo days after, w d1 w
stay become it seems me acceptat>e m,ng *o do
Well what I'm suggesting .$ to begc to make
some chorees tcrsg before the ho*day feme cr'ves
Start maiong a plan by figuring out
• How long do you want/need to be mee'’
• What eventj are you wlfng to participate m
the year'’
• What are iome ftvngi that you causd do whie
you are there that would help you 'ee sane")
Go<ng for woks listening to music going for a
drive
• Who can you 'ecerve support from'7 f^ione
calls, visits fami*ar books, safe paces
• Ana. now can you limit those activities expen
erxtes events that are not good for you-5
i am aec ring for example to onty go home two <
days ahead of time and to phone my cousm be (
fore leave for my parents so that I can ortange ?o 1
get together with hm the second day am home i |
aiso am tokrig my Walkman with me and two ,
tapes that I love *o listen to which he p me relax as
we>i as a book that l am 'eadmg on dysfunctional \
fbmiiies i ve deeded that this time am gong to ,
ptoy the role of an observer ana try ana watch the '
dynamics of wha' goes on a'ound me and w* te i
them down in a journal : am also going to give i
myse" permssan *0 go ouf 'or a wav whenever <
start feeimg lixe this holiday s just too much ana i
have *wo people m my life fhat I know I con phone <
and folk to am only gcxng ?o spe'id half of me so- (
co time before dinner wth my fomiiy and me oth
er hart visting an old frena from high school 1
wCHxd stis fee* ‘oo Ltocomforr at>e eavng the day ,
af*er dmner so l wit stay my usual two days, and
am gcxng to have one of my friends phone me to ,
see how i cm doing All in ail s't do'' f think it w* ,
be a hallmark cara holiday season but ; think cm ^
making some good chcxces 'o' myse if and my final
goal is to come back feeing like i have taken ca'e i
of myself i am gcxng to let my famiiy know oneaa (
ot time that I w<8 onfy be commg homo for four
days i actually fee tike I am taking a bg s*ep in t
making these changes it fees difficult ana am t
concerned about now my family is gcxng 'o react 1
Ana yet I know that i am making posit’ve chcxces \
for myself so l am gcxng to ao tots of se? fafe eve'' ,
before 1 eave to keep myse.f focused Some of the i
affirmations that i might use nclude !
• am able fo maxe changes around ho day
time
• it is okay not to a ways ao tnngs the w< >y mey
have been done '
• ■■ am taxng co>e of myself tha holiday season ,
• am a wncxe and worthy perso' rpabfe >'
maxing positive choices for myse'
Self-folk can help combat the many messages
wh-ch ee deeply ingrained ana w' -ch we a- 'e
ceve around holiday time i* s " e one *••• e ” ou? 1
soc-e'y w* tv- people openly to r w "uy ‘ ow (
fituol and follow old famiiy pa"ems to ciea'e an i
idealistic mage Moteoven ' s aiso u time when 1
many peop'e 'eei atone that "'ey don • «• • "-a* (
they are different ftom their fam.«y and 'no' "'ey 1
are not worthy This year fake me opportunity to {
make some changes so that you rerun 'ee '>g ,
hearthy amt whole
BOOKS
The Wellness Workbook by John W Travis and
Regina Sara Ryan
Stress Without Distress by Hans Selye
Learn To Relax by C Eugene Walker
Self Assertion For Women by Pamela Butler
Chop Wood Carry Water by Rick Fields
Making Contact by Virginia Satir
The Road Less Traveled by M Scott Peck
Confidence by Alan loy McGinnis
The Joy of Visualization by Valerie Wells
V/\rt*o • Yoking the Powers
I UU<i* of Body, Mind and Soul
by Carol P»nln
A,o you s'TrtJod out1 f®e*ng ovo<
w*xHmod tsecouw you yo pot too rrxrh to.
do ond too t'tno tmo to do it n't You w'
to ’(Hat But tne tnoign' ot tfjkng (no out
siifittm you out even mom’’ Moyt» i» i time
you t!t*M O now way of nandhng
s’roo Yoga
Yoga s a sytto^ of Indian pniiasopny ine
word itself moam to /oo or yo*e rho pa
rose of vogo s me jomng or yotong of ’no
powon of tno Body mnd ora sotd Voga
f<hiio< Dotn you ptrysicaf and mental
s’otos tfyougn various physical posos and
txeotnng techniques
'no urwooity of*en two dtfforont typos of
Yoga c lassos voga Khundafcni and Yoga
Matna Throug' tne urging of several Mends
doc *dOd to try one out Not knowing ary
tnng a£xx/i Yoga i stmpy rnoso one Yoga
HoftYa end eagorty owaitod (no first day of
C*K A. ';jC3iV I wrisr. ! 0r"0'or**y <>•
about ’ rooty dort r «■ * v. wt -1 : > ■ >
poC.' piCti/ed myST** "ying to -*8’ ■•,
body into cont'yc'iy' portui poses :
toiinfl msorobly
: was pieosantty s./p-Bod w"or
up 'or c: yjss and wo spent a good tvo • v
mnutos just lying on our Pocks rotatt*:
breathing deeply The ’os’ ot the c«bs
was Spent going through various nrftoror •
stretching posturos senior to the sfrotchr*.
one rjoos before runnng or ooroc- 1
throughout those poses wo wore , •n.i
to Clear oa minds and totatty locus ■■
broa thing as wot as the position and toe '
out bodes With each in broa'h wo wo-,
supposed *o alow positive energy to enter
our bodies and with oach out broa" : *
att of the nogottvo onorgy to ieavo our boa
es it wo tound our mnd wandering to o" i
•brigs wo wore nstructed to bring it brx « ■
the present and once agom toe .3 on >
tKoa'n Wo ended too c uss vr-g down
•,g: r CyosCCBOd h'0O*hfNg doopty
win pioc*anf1y supnsod at how much
po'Nv frt’ ahonvards Now i oc* tofwa*0
to my c «8S D O gfOtl' way *0 fOiO* and
Nine out from that st of t-hy tfvigs ; was
supposed to have fmshod *ho day Ooto*o
the, starting po«nt fcx Vogo s with the
tjfogth Surpr singly many peopio do .not
«now how to Cfoatho coftoc tty they
breathe thfcnj^fi tho mouth rathor than tho
nose and onfy til ’ho upper portion of tho
lungs Iho daphrogm s tho pnncipci muscto
us»Ki n breathing Who" you toko a cortoct
Of oath tho ■owoi rmddio and up pot pot
’ons o! tho lungs aro tillod with oxygon ’ho
toSOWirg exe*CSO S groat for f0*0*0*00 05
as tooctyng yound? how to breath with,
you diaphragm
o down on you Pack with you* knoos
Pont and toot fid! cm tho floor It hotps to
cace One txTid on tho abdomen and ono
or me cr>o»t 'he ©mphcM of breaming s
or me atxiomer w<m me ch«f ro*a«oo r>
*v» 6000^ ffvougr your nose and oi
yc*/ cn»i and sncx/ciocj 'o
oxocj E rfxae siowv irvojgn
yoa rvo*o w»mo pejhng m yen/
abdomen to !no bock of ycx/
sp«no Cooconfrato Ob mam
taring a Itoady rbytbmryc pa!
!em iJcxaj as much <s po&SJtxe
and focus on your txoa!h !^v
CiOSing ycx/ overt !p Tw!i fur Lg
£
rjow tyt vo amused o r*>
ogo of a peraon trying to twtjt th©if oody
into potnful cofitatod vosos dna fating ■«
OfitOty tako the ’,Tk) somo (lav to learn
vctga Of anoffw tyoo of rotaiafton tocf'
niguo in’rnoj of stfoss Voga can hetp you
yo«o you power of body rnnd and scU
Continued from Page 1
they would die. within a relative
ly short period of time, despite
medical intervention, actually
died It has also been observed
that when a medicine man uses
a counter charm rapid recovery
wW ensue Without considering
the phenomena of supernatural
can the stress of fear kill? The
theory used to explain this phe
nomenon states that these vic
tim's feelings of hopelessness
can actually lead to death
(MEDICAL ANTHROPOLOGY, Mc
Elroy and Townsend) Our per
cepfton of stressors can have a
hi>ge Impact on the outcome of
our health olbeit not usixiBy that
extreme!
An important element contrib
uting to a student s success is
perceiving stressors as a chul
lenge or an opportunity We all
look at stress differently What is
stressful to me may not be shess
fii to you For example, if a
teacher passes out a pop quiz,
one person may flip out an
other may become very calm
arid collected during the quiz
but start to shake afterwards, yet
another may not be affected at
all A lot of stress or too little stress
may make you unproductive or
productive depending on you
and your perception Find!' j
that optimal level of stress t it
not too much stress is an imp r
tant skill for maximizing your po
tentlal.
So what do you do if you start
to show some of the symptoms
of too much stress (see list)’’ First
find out what is it that is cause g
you the most distress. It could be
relatiorrships. work, life charrges.
school work or that dripping fau
cet Who knows?
Second understand your re
action to the stressor If it Is a
long term stressor you may bo
reacting to it with physical sym;
toms such as headaches, sleep
disorders fatigue, etc or y u
may Increase behaviors such is
smoking, drinking drug use
cessive laughter and other be
haviors
Third, maintain a positive se>r
talk Your own self-taik cars re
your best friend or your worst e»
emy depending on what you te i
yourself If you beat yourself up
by telling yourself you're stupid,
unworthy, or you have to be per
fect at everything, this Is not
good1 Self-talk can make your
heart pound, palms sweat,
blood pressure rise or it can help
you go with the flow
Fourth, identify what you can
control and what you can t Pro
crastination sometimes creeps
into the area of stressors you can
control and can cause you a lot
of distress (bad stress) And fifth,
learn some relaxation tech
niques and use them regularly
Techniques such as progressive
relaxation meditation and
deep breathing can do wonders
for your mental health
Instead of leftirrg stress stalk
you take a proactive stance ir>
stead of a reactive starrce on
stress Evaluate what stressors
you want and don't want Rec
agnize the stressors you can or
can t control and be aware of
your perception of stress Then
fake action on what you can
change and exchange stressing
out for eustressing ouf
Making the Most of Your Time
by Cory Fox
Have ycxj ever hod one of
those days when It seems that
there Just Isn't enough tme to
yet everything you want or need
to yet done accomplished? If
you have tod this feeling then
what you might need to do is
some scheduling in your day
Probably the best thing to do is
some time management Here
are fourteen easy steps to help
reduce some of the burden of
feeling rustled or overloaded by
the pressure of school or life in
general
1 Set goals for what you'd like
to accomplish
2 Prioritize your goals and ac
tivities Make a Do list ev
eryday
3 Schedule your activities
Give yourself enough time
to accomplish those activi
ties
4. Do the most difficult things
early in the day Start work
ing on big projects earlier m
trie day that way you're r t
so fired
5 Be aware of your best !
rx3l times If you do Certain
octtvities better during >■'
tain times of the day keep
that in mind for plan; ■ 5
your day
6 Learn to scry NO Be ass*-'
five Stay on task Do wt if
you had planned to do
7 Establish routines for your<>« ‘
8 Ask yourself. How w< ■ 7
filings be if I did not do f s
fight now?
9 Keep a c aioudai t>ook '
enter future commitments
10 Handle each piece of pa
per onty once When you
work on something fry to
get if done, unless it s a t ■ 1
project and you're doing ’
in stages
11 Use break periods to re
store energy
With effective time manage
ment, people can plan for tie
omplefion of difficult tasks like
writing that term paper AH it
realty takes is some thoughtful
planning Dorr t try to do every
thing in one day and don't put
everything off until the last min
ute if y >u know that the paper is
riy to be due prepare earty
f < it You can always go back
aid skim the material to refresh
v uf memory One of the big
gest [kotkerns people have ts
feeling t»gged down with tons
f stuff to do arid then it usualy
all goes down hill from there
I tan out your day of week so
you will be ready for what
comes up and you will know
what you need to get done
When you are planning, always
make sure you add In the things
that you like to do and definitely
make* sue there ts time for rest If
you've got a lot to do. time
management might be what
you need to help you get
through the day accomplishing
everything you intended
Staff Box
• l' Melanie Steed
■ • • •oaifh •. ,-ji.jcatiof Joann* Frank
. : ■ ■ ■ a* rs lauren* Shield* Lisa Spitzmiller. Britt
tllii Morion* Callohan. M*lam* Steed
.. At. v , Cory Fox. Chrtt Maquir* Carol
P*mn Su*ann* Spolar and Jeff
Gerb*r
Jennifer Huey. Ingrid White
'ho Wo now s o nowsono' sponsoted Dy the Student
•*eo!!h Cento' ana produced Dy the noaitn education
Staff with 'ho .jsss'unco of the Otogon Doify Emoraid Alt
aftic os a'o wr fieri Dy students and Gifs foe the oduca
ton p'oytan' ' you have any suggestions or ate mtefos’
od m conf'iDu'tng an article please caB Vteiarue Stood
at 74I 8239 a 3'op Dy Mocsth tducation o the Student
Hoartn Cen'ec _
“We're so engaged
in doing things
to achieve purpose
of outer
value
that we forget
that the inner value,
the rapture
that is associated
with being alive,
is what
it’s all about."
— Joseph Campbell
MENTAL HEALTH TIDBITS
lyMpta#HlBlf.. .. .
ANGER...
’ Anger and hostility may jeopar
due you health If you score high
on psychological tests you have a
greater chance of dying from heart
disease accidents cancer and sul
cide contrasted with people who
score low on hostility and anger
THINK YOU’RE A FAILURE?
' Ever feel like you re a failure? Sir
Winston Churchil was considered
by his father to be so dull that
Winstons father doubted if he
could earn a living Thomas Edison
was described by his teachers as
odcfled his headmasters critl
cued that Edison would never
make a success of anything and
hts father thought tie was a
dunce Albert Einstein was
prompted by a teacher to drop exit
of school because of his poor per
forrnonce In all hs classes except
math The teacher then told him
he d never amount to anything
NUTRITION FOR LESS STRESS
* there are foods that con actually aggravate
our stress response and there are also nutrients
that we need to replenish when we care under
stress So In times of high stress or anytime it s
good to limit your intake of caffeine and alco
hol because they fend to aggravate your
stress resporise Vitamin C rich foods will re
plenish the vitamin C i iso) by ttie adrenal
gkirxls during episodes of physical stress Your
body also uses more complex carbohydrates
and (xoteins when you re under stress so eat
good sources of protein (peas beans ftsh
lean meats etc ) and complex carbohydrates
(fruits vegetables arid whole grain pradu* ts)
Watch out for refined flours and sugars be
cause these can also aggravate your stress re
sponse
LAUGHTER...
■ Norman Cousins, ttie man who literally
laughed himself bock to health after having a
terminal illness says that laughter is a form ot
Inner logging
CRYING
' Do you know wfiy after you cry you feel so calm? It s tx>
cause crying gives your nervous circulatory and respiratory
systems a good workout
r
J
WORRYING.
' The difference between a worry and a concern is that <3
concern is something you can do something about whereas
a worry is something you cannot do anything about So If you
can t do anything about your worry you might consider why
you would allow a worry to make you so miserable Another
technique In dealing with worry is to fake your wofry to its
logical extrerrie Imagine what would tx» tfie worst thing that
could happen, what you would do If this catastrophe hap
pened and then prepare for it lust m case
STRESS
* Three things tn common for peo
pie who seem to cope with stress
Pest are I) flexible and hopeful
personality factors 2) a good social
support network of family and
friends, and 3) a sense of control In
one's life
EXERCISE AND STRESS
* Aerobic ex of els© can reduce both longterm
and short term stress It has been shown that
erftef a single aerobic workout a petson will
feel less tension two to five hours afterward A
person who exorcises regularty after many
weeks rrxjy reduce ttroir choracterlstk' level of
stress finding that they no longer become as
rvervous as they once dkf Fxerctse has also
shown to be effeettve m treating depression
(Gnest et al 197V) This is not to say exon Ise
should replace professional help for dept os
sion but that exercise is a helpful part of thora
py The runner s high a euphoria described
by peofke after ttrey have t running for at
least 35 to 40 minutes, may tie caused t>y a re
lease of endorphins, which are the natural
pain killers within tt>e body
ANGER...
' Arwjer < jfftx: ts the body like this ycx j release u horrnone
called norepinephrine whi< h causes your heart t • t »* kit faster
and your blood vessels to constrk t live result is a higher
Wood pressure whir h in turn causes strain on the heart and
Wood vessels
!
j
uy unmnnu iwiyu/r»
■'0(0 you <10 at One Of tfse most ot
Citing ana c(.atonyrig times n you
tfo You aro in cotogo lootDcJi
games pottos now fronas am a
groat sense of rcJopondonr o
abounds You are making you/ own
docsont and running your own Wo
Sometimes dowovo( all of IDs con
Do too overwhelming Adius'rig to
college tto con Do ono of ifio hardest
tmas m youi Ho Homesickness s ms!
one 'oczon the transition can do »
difficult After softting in and mo now
ness of your onvfonmonf woon o^
separation (tom your ovod ones can
Docomo very notcoooio Sometimes
you find youfttW 'oc*;ng onoty and
soia'oa mosing m© familiar 'ocos of
home Not onry ccn loneinoss do dir
cuff. taking tespon*if>!ify for ovory
ting you do and don f do c<r- make
you fool ost and a little scared
Wnon l first wont away to COtogo
hoci a touy- tme maxing decisions
for mysoff Everymma ’torn who' aass
in v m t * »*» . r v v ’ ■
1 .r.ij 'T’> swv Od ;’ soy or; *«>
•t3jOf decisions to mo teetng atone
confused and cy.uous oro common
feonys mot go oK>ng wm oc'iy
nomeecl fnoro are ways that you
can deal witf m©w> teo*nys
Oro way s by golfing ovotved
student ocfv'os 'to f.tst mmg trot
w« noppen s mat you 8 meet some
row poopo Just mooting someone
rtxjt you con tafc to sorro’mos tops
o attovtatng mow tool's* of sot*
•mio t con also bo useful m mo, ng
do sons because you con bounce
yc-J ’noughts and Kfcxn oft of some
coo Sometma jest borg bury * "
aettymas and poopo or tone sono
of me ’mo that you m«gr-’ bo spooa
rg ‘oomg tsc.mo5Ci( JO' 'Q Club* O'
ugo' batons go’s you i’votvod OKI
puts you m me siVt'or of mee'-ng
'<•* poopo who f»avo similar r'<r
osts
Ano'nor roiptui hr ' 3 to J"PV
• <*x • 'c-.c' w” “ so of norro
so' What fnoan Dy ths S having
: cor tor */•« onco a wo«« Of ovo<v
coup** of weeks that you wil cut
>omo o< youf 'iif’ufy of fnords wS; co»
you
W'l'ing a Quick lottof to those you
"«ss w ( pcry off whon yen; tecotve a
«”o» : ■ *»''Off them nnow whet
receive a tortof from homo ’ makes
■y fiiy ftry.j*v fhafc.ny few fnofXJs
an Do ono of ”o most hotpfui ways
Of . xl<osf • g »o yens' now ftomo '» ■cut
times ’ can oppoaf that evefyon®
oSo has al 'no fftonds they fvoort Of
want Dut toons car Do doefwog
fnofo aro s'udonts on; campus .os' *o
you ftofQ of© a !ow ' ps to hop mc*o
'•rs-jny them oastof
• i\,f younoff m a poe'L*' 'o moo’
POOPO
• Ta*o the ifstprtvo 'o staff a ccm
vocation
• G<vg othois a c narco to tofc by
r g someth-ig !DO>.’ '*<•"
^ t
• . ,i ■ •••*•*' t; - » v. ’* • ' : ' «■
lit»} Bo pOtiCK't Good '••«>'«»’ pj
don I happen ovotnigf !
tcE'v ' »o odyur toge ' : tio
compus tmoufcm '•••bo poopto at®
here to hotp you and ‘o p' ,>■. > any
advco of ass* lane® you nood Sorto
of tnose 5 upport lefwos ' /'*< ’no
:Xwn of Vuaonts. Student Aft on Ac
adormc Advwng Sh/Sof t Mooftn.
(onto* ’toaith Education othco
cou'ioirys tutoa tosiaont osMtantj
■ yv-< tne CtrocK Co/'V.-'iy ' on UK
tXx’1 fQfgot mo most :jtH,ndant ro
VX/ non; jr-ip;a Qtnof G.donfs rf
out 'o ib a co*ogo student e not \
o way you wood i*o ’ to bo fo
"*•" t *s ” ■!' you havo " i ■ otxkfy to
rna<o "I' -gs bettor tof yoi/v/tf Got o
voAfOd f .!• ’vujj koop r touc h with !
*ojo at ’ no rrx*o yoasotf ayak
* «t *• moot new *f«nas and wo*
ny’‘ • ?■) bo * © totoufcos ho<e on
campus