Posts Tagged ‘stress’

How to Live Stress Free and Musically: Music as the Ultimate Art Form

Tuesday, January 26th, 2016

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Music is the ultimate art form. There are other art forms that people use to express themselves and they’re all great, I have embraced many of them. But when you really think about it, how many people go to the Met and walk out saying, “I don’t get art.” How many people have two left feet on the dance floor? Rubbing up against each other in a nightclub is not considered an example of dance as an art form; I don’t care how sweet your moves are. I’m referring to the real stuff- ballet, tap, salsa, waltz- all the great dance styles they show on Dancing with the Stars (isn’t that how we non-dancers learn the names of these dances anyway?) How many of us really enjoy writing and consider it to be our art and how many actually like to read the works of others?

dancing

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Obviously the sap writing this eBook does but that’s another story for another eBook. But back to my point- music. Music is one of the most popular forms of entertainment- listening to it, making it, learning about it and buying it. There’s a reason why Pandora is so popular-  it’s because people love music. Music speaks for us, makes us move, inspires us, makes us fall in love, provides memory triggers if it’s playing during important moments in our lives and it makes us happier people. If that’s not enough for you, music has about 100 Facebook pages dedicated to it!

MUSIC AND THE COLLEGE STUDENT

collegestudent

College can be a very difficult time in a person’s life. There’s worrying about keeping up with classes, worrying about being broke, worrying about relationships, and worrying about the fact that you worry so much. The average college student spends the majority of their time stressing out and the rest of their time doing everything they can to keep themselves sane. For any kind of chronic worrier, like college students for example, it is generally recommended that people take time to do activities that help clear the mind and alleviate stress. Music is one of those things that can temporarily alleviate stress by releasing endorphins, or the happy chemicals in your brain. It can create the same effect that a good jog can. It clears the mind, thus allowing you to think a lot clearer. Professor John Kizzie, and English professor and guitar instructor at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown, New Jersey has worked with many students over the years and has been a firsthand witness to the benefits that college students can gain from listening and learning to play music.

“In an immediate sense, a student gets exercises in focus and concentration.  To sit with music and an instrument, means, like reading, you are intellectually engaged in an activity.  You can concentrate more because it is a skill needed to focus on the music and guiding your fingers in a way that changes from song to song.

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Listening skills improve, too.  Hopefully, as a student practices she can listen with intent to what she is playing.  That skill can carry over into the classroom and in personal conversations,” Kizzie said.

Among the many positive effects that Kizzie discussed, one aspect sums truly reinforces what I have learned in my experience with learning music.

He said, “I believe students get a better understanding of what it takes to excel at skills like playing music; therefore, there, too, will be a greater appreciation of the concert artist. Students will see that even something that seems as fun and easy as “making music” actually takes a great deal of time. Then, hopefully, they can transfer that to whatever field in which they are striving. Every person who achieves greatness – in any field- is bolstered by years and years of hard work and training. The reward is getting to make a living doing work that looks like it is fun and easy to others.”

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He added, “Humility, too, comes with trying to play a musical instrument. In a time when every one has an opinion, and we have talk show hosts and politicians who are “never” wrong, learning to play an instrument is humbling. Sometimes we sound badly, and that means we need to work more at something. We can’t be perfect or right all the time as learners. Here lies the crux of all of this, too. In Buddhism, there is a concept known as the “beginner’s” or “learner’s” state of mind. Quickly, it means if we all stayed open minded in all that we do, we would continually learn and grow, without preconceptions. Learning to play a musical instrument can do this for us, too. We learn to learn, with the intent to understand the nature of the instrument and  to always get better at playing it.”

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By Janet Reyes

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Mental Health Matters Too

Friday, August 9th, 2013

Whenever I tell an older person that I’m still in college, the one thing they always tell me with a glint of nostalgic desperation in their voice is that I should absolutely cherish my four years. Evidently, they fly by fast and then you’re unceremoniously kicked into the fabled “Real World” your parents are always lecturing you about.

And that’s because in some sense, the stereotypes about college are true: it is really, really fun. It may not be the booze filled sex-a-thon the movies make it out to be, but the random afternoons you spend spontaneously going to Central Park and getting into an impromptu boat race on the lake while a group of Harry Potter cosplayers yell Unforgivable Curses at you are not going to be soon forgotten.

However, there is a dark side to college that most of the time is swept under the rug and never mentioned. Underneath all of the fun is an incredible amount of stress: our finances (or usually the lack thereof), our roommate troubles, our relationship aches and pains, the ups and downs of our GPAs, and all the little things that come with newfound independence. It’s basically like if someone asked Atlas to do a quick Iron Man triathlon while still holding the entire world on his shoulders. No big deal, right?

www.augustana.edu

The constant juggling gets to everyone at some point. Sometimes it’s a little thing that breaks you– one of my roommates broke down into hysterics because there was a mouse in our dorm. She had had an especially rough week, and that little mouse making her bin of sweaters into what she called his “mouse house” was the last straw for her.

Sometimes it’s a big thing that breaks you. Sometimes a person you thought you were in love with decides to call it quits. Sometimes someone in your family passes suddenly. Sometimes your health takes an unexpected turn for the worse. We don’t think about the possibility of these things happening to us because we’re young, and bad things don’t happen to young people. But they do happen, and they’re never easy to deal with.

With all these big scary possibilities of your independent life, there is one important piece of advice to remember that I happened to get from a pair of sunglasses I bought from Urban Outfitters: “It’s perfectly okay to admit that you’re not okay.” I know my cheap sunglasses weren’t the first to say it, but it rings true all the same. No one knows you better than you know you. You have to know when it’s time to pump the brakes and think about getting some help.

www.cdc.gov

I know that nobody likes admitting that they need help, especially when it comes to our mental health, something we feel like we should have some modicum of control over since, you know, it is our own brains creating the problem. But sometimes you just have to admit that you can’t handle the weight of your own thoughts, or you run the risk of letting them consume you.

Believe me, I know how it feels to be a trapped in your own mind. It took me months to admit to someone that I needed help, because I was drowning in the daily pressures of my life. First it was just one of my friends, but she suggested I try therapy as an outlet. And when I say suggested, I mean she demanded that I call the NYU health center the next day and get myself an appointment.

Some people might think she was coming on too strong with the pro-therapy message, and I did too, at first. But she had been to an NYU counselor before when she was having a hard time, and her life had improved because of it. Thus she became therapy’s biggest proponent.

And you know what? She was right. I didn’t want to go at all; I considered running for it while I was staring at the grey walls of the counseling center, waiting for my appointed therapist to usher me into his office. But after it was over, I had a feeling of relief in my chest where I had previously felt only anxiety and stress for months. It was a no-judgment zone where I could talk about how I felt to someone who didn’t know anything about me except how strongly I agreed or disagreed with the questions they had made me answer on a questionnaire. He was kind and understanding, and, as an added bonus, he had a faint Irish accent that I found very soothing.

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It may be stressful and out of your comfort zone to think about taking professional steps into improving your mental health, but being in college actually makes it easier for you to do so. NYU offers all of its students 10 free sessions of counseling, able to be used at any time during a student’s four years. They also have a private hotline open 24 hours a day for anyone who needs help. Every school has its own resources for its students to use; look into your school’s specific policies regarding counseling, and you’ll probably find that it will be relatively easy for you to get help.

As fiction author and very smart person John Green said, “It hurts because it mattered.” Maybe not everyone understands why something bothers you so much, but that doesn’t mean you should feel bad about feeling bad. It hurts because it mattered to you. It could be a mouse house or a bad grade on a paper, it doesn’t really matter; what does matter is whether or not you choose to help yourself and admit that you’re hurting.

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Alex Ritter, NYU.

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Relax Your Mind and Feel Good

Friday, May 14th, 2010

As a student, it may sometimes seem that stress is never-ending, especially in New York City, which, based on data from forbes.com is the third most stressful city in the country. The difficulties in balancing school, work, and our relationships can increase stress to the point where it has a negative affect on our physical and mental well-being. According to WebMD, “People who don’t manage stress well can have headaches, stomach pain, sleeping problems, illness, and depression.” However, if it is managed effectively, stress can be defeated, allowing us to live a healthy and more fulfilling life.

Cost Effective Ways to Reduce Stress in Your Life

Workout at the Gym for Free– Many gyms offer guest passes that vary from one day to two weeks for non-members. Colleges and Universities around the city also offer students free access to their facilities. This is a great way to work out without coming out of your own pocket. Just contact your local gym for more details or click on the link below for access to another way to get fit for free.
Shape Up NY

Talk to Someone– Sometimes you just need someone to talk to. Contact your school’s mental health center for details on what services are available to you free of charge. It may also help to find a clergy, relative, friend, or therapist that will listen to you; afterward you may feel relieved to have let it all out. If you still feel a sense of urgency, you can always call 1-800-LIFENET.

Meditate– Look for a quiet place to relax, put your body in any position that you feel comfortable in; stand up, sit down, or lie down and take deep breaths, keeping the focus on your breathing. Continue to do so until you feel the stress melt away. For more information on meditation courses in New York City, take a look at the link below or go to your local library for some books on the topic.
Meditation in New York

Listen to Music– Ever wonder why music is a universal language, it’s because no matter what culture or background you come from tunes can speak to you. Just turn on the radio and before you even realize it, you’ll be dancing and singing or humming and bopping your head. There are also places throughout the city where you can listen to free music. Check some of them out below:
Music at Madison Square Park
Music at Licoln Center
Music at Central Park

-Shana H

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