Posts Tagged ‘wellness’

The Benefits of Doing Things Alone

Wednesday, February 12th, 2025

Joanne and I sit next to one another at the theater for Life & Times of Michael K. As she stands up so I can take my seat, I compliment her tan faux fur hat and ski pants as a form of introduction. She is my height and frail, and her eyes have a smile to them that makes me inexplicably emotional. 

There’s silence for a few minutes as we settle in. I take pictures of the art deco ceiling and she reads the playbill. I play with my nails, and she smooths back her white hair into a thin ponytail, her hands shaking from an aggressive tremor. Then, when she takes a sip of her coffee, I gather up just enough courage to tell her this is my first time inside the Paramount Theatre, and I’ve made it a point to myself to do more things this year, even if it means doing them alone. I feel uncomfortable rambling to a stranger, but her smile has an earnest compassion to it, like that of a pre-k teacher listening to a child tell them about their weekend. Originally, she says, she was supposed to meet up with two girlfriends, one of whom is from Barbados and paid for her ticket. 27 degrees and overcast kept them at bay, but she loves doing things, too, anything to get out of the house, and she finds the theater especially “cathartic.” 

The Paramount Theatre before showtime!

Joanne tells me she’s been in Boston since ‘66 or ‘68, and she hardly ever goes back home to Minnesota because she finds it boring. There are valleys, however, along the Mississippi that she still dreams about, and great rolling hills and cliffsides. She sways her shaking fingers from side to side as she demonstrates the movement of the tall grass blowing in the wind. In her dreams, she goes everywhere, even the Notre Dame de Paris. She asks me if I liked growing up in Miami because it seems a lot less boring than Minnesota, but I tell her I don’t really like going back home either, and Miami reminds me of the girls in high school who had boating licenses and access to ketamine. I refrain from telling her my dreams often involve screaming because I want her to like me, the same way a granddaughter craves the approval of her matriarch.

When she finds out I’m a publishing grad student, she asks me what I think of the word ‘charming’ and whether it’s out of use. This is because she had a conversation about it with her siblings wherein she described one of her brothers as charming ‘even though he has brain damage’, and they found it weird to call someone with brain damage charming, so she’s been thinking about it ever since. I tell her I use the word charming relatively often, and I think it’s fine to describe her brother that way. She says I can call her Jo since that’s what her siblings call her, anyway.

Jo was a substitute teacher for a while and worked a bit in psychiatry, but she developed a neurological condition and has been retired for some time. After telling me this, she is quick to change the subject and mentions when she first came to Boston, she would go to all the libraries and bookstores and just sit there for hours and hours reading. She gestures with her hands in circular motions when she says ‘hours and hours’, and her eyes light up as she seems to regain a sentimental memory that has been out of thought for some time. Her brother also loves books, so they have a bond there. I tell her my brother and I were the first in our family to get degrees and they both happened to be in English, and she says it’s nice to have someone older than you who understands those things.

The best acting is at Central Square, and she prefers the interior design of the Paramount Theatre to the Opera House. She doesn’t know anyone in the mafia, but she knows a lot of Sicilians, and she doesn’t like their attitude. She says the only way to get used to the cold is to be in it often, and that rule applies to a lot of things in life. I’m not entirely sure what she means by this, but it sounds important.

The announcer comes on, and we quiet down. I am immersed in the play, but from time to time, my mind wanders to what Jo is thinking. There is something about her that reminds me of myself, though I can’t quite place it. In a way, I see her as an older version of myself, and I want to know her whole life story but feel too embarrassed to ask. I wonder if she’d think me a loser to ask her to coffee, as I’m sure when she was my age she didn’t want an old lady as a friend. I also wonder if she is going home to an empty apartment and might enjoy the company. 

Shakespeare in the Park from the first time I came to Boston by myself in 2019!

After the standing ovation, we slowly gather our things and put on our extra layers. I contemplate asking her what her plans are for the rest of the day, but as I shove my hands through the elastic of my jacket sleeves, she says, “It was nice to share a little bit of life with you.” I shake her hand and say “Maybe I’ll see you again at the next play,” and she agrees. As I’m heading down the stairs, she mispronounces my name in an attempt to remember it, but I don’t correct her, I just smile and say yes. I put on my earmuffs, open the theater door to the outside world, and cross the street to the cafe. I find myself waiting for her to walk out after me. I tell myself if she comes out within the next 5 minutes, I’ll run over to her and exchange emails. I wait for 10 minutes, but I don’t see her, so I leave. The whole encounter leaves me feeling refreshed and lost at the same time, like someone who takes their honeymoon alone. 

When I get off the trolley, I pass the local elementary school and baseball field. A flock of Canadian geese is resting in the milk-white snow, their long black necks coiled up into their feathers. They are sitting so still that they look like little pebbles. I think to myself that they must be stopping in from Quebec or New Brunswick, making their way down to Florida. 

I wonder if Jo enjoys the migrating geese in Minnesota, if they ever pop up in her dreams about the nature of her home state. I imagine a young Jo about 12 years old, sprinting through the Aspen Parkland prairies in the spring, her siblings at home waiting for her. The Canadian geese fly above her against the clear blue skies in a V formation. I make her hair blonde like mine, and I wonder if one day I will be in my 80s, trudging out through the snow to the Paramount Theater, alone. If I am, it will be an honor. 

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Brenna Sheets is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Writing and Publishing M.A. program. Her hobbies include going on long walks, watching bad television, reading, and writing.

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How to Stay Somewhat Sane

Tuesday, February 4th, 2025
Another week of trying my best to not end up like Georgina Sparks

It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Sunday, and I’ve just had dinner—sausage and roasted asparagus. I head upstairs to fold the laundry and hang my dresses as reality TV plays in the background. When I finally crawl into bed, I shed a tear, and then a few more, and then a lot more. With blurry vision, I find myself clicking “pay” on a transaction for vintage Coach ballet flats I don’t need, and then I pour myself a tall glass of Prosecco. With a damp sleep mask over my eyes, I fall asleep to the sounds of 40-year-old narcissists screaming over Andy Cohen. I toss and turn throughout the night, and when I wake up, I’m puffy, nauseated, and a bit disoriented. 

This past weekend, I had brunch downtown with my two friends. We waited outside in 30° weather for gourmet omelets and signature lattes (they were luckily worth it). In between conversations about crispy tofu and men with anger issues, my friend Grace asked us if we’d been to Pressed, which is a popular cafe with a main location in Boston. My friend Amber and I thought Grace said, “Have you guys ever been depressed?”

 Slightly caught off guard by the apparent switch of topics, Amber responded with comedic elegance, “Yes, but it’s seasonal, and I have a happy lamp for that.” I followed, “I mean, hasn’t everyone from time to time?” The miscommunication was sidesplitting once we realized Grace was talking about hot paninis and not mental health issues, but it did get me wondering how many people might be feeling some variation of downcast lately, whether it be because of the season, politics, issues in their personal or work life, or just their biology. 

The signature latte in question

January was, in essence, the taking down of cheerful holiday lights, the drives back to work that grow drearier by the day, and the slow realization that the insolent Jack Frost is here to stay. Many Americans start falling into the rut of being low-energy, negative, and struggling mentally. With an election year on top of it, the levels of stress and anxiety around the country have only served as the cherry on top.

Some of us turn to escapism tactics like online shopping and celebrity drama. All in good fun, too much of anything is a bad thing. One Sunday night of wine and tears is excusable, but frequenting such activities is—say it all together now—self-destructive and detrimental to our well-being. I may not have all the answers or even relatively decent ones, but I’ve decided a list of ways to stay somewhat sane this winter is as good a start as any. Like Voltaire said, “Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats.”

Immersing myself in art is always a great way to get out of my head and appreciate my surroundings
  1. Practice Daily Gratitude: 
    • Focusing on things we’re grateful for can help shift our perspectives and make us feel less overwhelmed, especially during challenging moments. Whether you write out a list or just say it to yourself as it comes, practicing gratitude can encourage you to remember what you have, no matter how small, and foster a sense of stability within you.
  2. Accept Your Emotions: 
    • Acknowledging our emotions instead of hiding or trying to change them can help us prevent emotional build-up. We shouldn’t judge ourselves for feeling upset but instead, accept our negative emotions for what they are and use them to navigate our life with more clarity. 
  3. Get Off Your Phone:
    • Taking a break from our phones can help reduce stress and anxiety by limiting our exposure to negative news and social media. It also allows us to be present and make deeper connections with what is right in front of us daily.
  4. Set Small, Achievable Goals:
    •  Setting small goals can lead to more celebrations that boost our confidence and make progress more satisfying. By breaking up our long-term goals into more manageable steps, we can make our dreams feel more attainable. 
  5. Laugh With Friends:
    • Getting together with friends provides us with a sense of belonging that can help offset the stressors in our lives. Additionally, our friends serve as a great support system that can lift our dopamine levels!
  6. Avoid Negative Language: 
    • Positive self-talk opens our minds up to the possibility of things going our way. If we are constantly looking for the bad in us and our surroundings, we’re more likely to find it in everything. This can cloud our perception and send us into a spiral. Oppositely, if we train our brains to look for the good first, we can actually lessen our anxieties.
  7. Get Yourself a Little Treat: 
    • Of course, rewarding ourselves with even something small provides a psychological boost and solidifies a method of self-care during tough times. It serves as a reminder that we deserve kindness and moments of joy, especially when we need it most.
  8. Ask For Help
    • If you’re feeling like your emotions are weighing heavier than you can handle, it’s important to reach out to a professional who can offer support. Talking to a therapist or counselor can help you navigate through any kind of tough time. We don’t have to go through it alone, and there’s no shame in asking for help when we need it.
Have yourself a warm Sunday brunch at Cafe Landwer! Boston Students can get $10 off their first mobile order when they use the code LANDWERSTUDENT

Brenna Sheets is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Writing and Publishing M.A. program. She is currently a teacher, specializing in middle school history. Her hobbies include going on long walks, watching bad television, reading, and writing.

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Let’s Talk About Boundaries, Baby!

Monday, January 13th, 2025

Welcome to a year focused on self-care and wellness, because we need it!

While many, many news articles in the last 10 days have put the tightest knots in my stomach, I’d prefer to focus on things more in my control. An overlooked benefit of living in 2025 is our transparency with personal boundaries and how to use them. So long to the days of people-pleasing to the point of exhaustion; say farewell to conversations about overstimulation being taboo; and, lastly, good riddance to making ourselves uncomfortable for the sake of perception alone.

Over break, I spent some time lounging at hotel pools, which is one of my favorite self-care activities!

Boundaries can look like many things, but for the most part, they are simply the lines we draw for ourselves in terms of our level of comfort around others. They can involve physical contact, verbal interactions, personal space, emotions, romance, time, individual belongings, and even the workplace. Here are some quick examples:

  • Not wanting a friend, family member, or coworker to speak down to you is a verbal boundary.
  • Not feeling comfortable when others show up at your house without warning is a personal space boundary. 
  • Protecting your ability to do your work without interference or drama, especially that which extends outside the workplace, is a work-life boundary. 

There are all kinds of boundaries, and the best part is that all of them are valid!

I’ll be the first to say that, for the majority of my life, I was undoubtedly an extreme people-pleaser, and this made it very hard for me to set boundaries. I didn’t know how to handle confrontation, and I didn’t like taking risks. What if I tried to set a boundary, and I lost my friend in the process? I had a few lines that couldn’t be crossed, of course, but for the most part, I often held my tongue, fuming in my discomfort, to maintain some variation of peace and order. This was not a win-win situation, as at the end of the day I had gone against my desires, and I’d built up a resentment towards those I’d done so for. 

As an introvert, I need a lot of time to decompress. After work and class, I tend not to take phone calls or FaceTime unless there’s an emergency to protect my alone time.

It wasn’t until I left Florida and started working full-time (How I miss the days of living off scholarship money) that I realized how important boundaries are. With most of the sunlit day spent at the hands of the dollar, every ounce of free time I now have is something I cherish to the utmost degree. I have less time to spend at this point in my life, so I want to spend it on the right things. if I let people waste that time, I’ll feel more burnt out and irritated than ever.

The fact of the matter is, as you get older, you learn that the approval of others just can’t come at your sacrifice.  Now at 25, I don’t waste my energy trying to prove myself to people who don’t see my worth— and let’s face it, as a woman, I’m just all too tired of that anyway. With all of the trials and tribulations of being a full-on adult, you get to a point in time where a question starts to loom over your head: How much crap are you willing to take, and who from?

While I’d like to tell you the answer is “NONE AND FROM NO ONE,” that’s simply not the world we live in. However, if you start to feel exhausted, angry, or upset consistently because of a certain person or situation, it may be time to set some boundaries.

Another self-care activity I enjoy is cooking. Here, I made fried rice with veggies and tofu!

Setting boundaries has become a more open and honest topic today, but the conversation can still be hard depending on who you’re talking to. Feeling awkward and even guilty is normal, and you can factor in the possibility that the other party will be defensive, too. Nevertheless, it’s important to stand your ground and let it be known that you and your time are valuable! Setting boundaries is a form of self-respect and self-care. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind as you start the new year looking out for you:

1. Know Your Limits

Before setting boundaries, you should take some time to reflect on when you do and don’t feel your best. What drains your energy? What makes you feel respected? Recognizing these limits can help you define clear boundaries before telling them to someone else.

2. Communicate Clearly and Assertively

Be direct and honest when communicating your needs. For example, in work, say, “I’m unable to take on extra tasks this week.” Point-blank. Also, in social or romantic relationships, don’t feel afraid to express what you need to feel comfortable. Any friend or partner will be able to understand that you’re coming from a good place. That conversation could start with something like “I love our time together, but after work, I need space to recharge by myself.”

3. Be Consistent

Enforce your boundaries consistently. If you let them slide occasionally, it can confuse others and undermine your efforts. Gently remind people when a boundary is crossed. While everyone is human and makes mistakes, if someone constantly disobeys your boundaries, it may be a sign that they don’t take you seriously and that your relationship is not mutually beneficial. 

4. Learn to Say No

It’s okay to say no without feeling guilty! Practice it in small, low-stakes situations to build confidence. Saying no is an act of self-respect, not selfishness, despite those who may say otherwise.

5. Respect Others’ Boundaries

Respect the boundaries of others, too. One of the best ways to get comfortable with our boundary-setting is to have the ability to recognize when others are setting boundaries. If we can be mindful of those around us, then we can expect them to do the same.

Spend some me-time and get 20% off at Gloria’s Beauty Center in Allston with your student ID!

Brenna Sheets is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Writing and Publishing M.A. program. She is also a teacher, currently specializing in middle school history. Her hobbies include going on long walks, reading and writing, and watching bad television.

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Delulu is the Solulu: Journaling for Creative Expression

Monday, September 23rd, 2024

Contrary to popular ‘film bro’ belief, you actually do not need to take psychedelics to unlock your inner creativity. Among the many ways one can use journaling for personal wellness, arguably one of the most popular is to explore creative expression. Often, the idea of journaling is met with the stereotypical image of a teenage girl in her bedroom, feet swinging in the air, a smile on her face, and a familiar “Dear Diary…” monologue that almost always includes a crush on a boy (because what else could women possibly have to think about, right?) However, journaling doesn’t have to be all touchy-feely-existential-dread all the time; it can be a strategic machine that helps writers, lyricists, filmmakers, artists, and other creators overcome their mental blocks and find inspiration. 

A photo I took around this time last year of gloomy autumn weather.

One of my favorite ways to stay in tune with my creative writing is doing something I call “The Five Senses.” When I journal in the evening, I usually recount the most prominent events and feelings I encountered that day. “I am absolutely exhausted” shows up a lot. “Today at work…” is another popular one, unfortunately. But sometimes this can take away from the actual sensations I experience on a second-to-second basis—all the little things that make life so beautifully sappy. I write down the five senses and try to describe the most influential senses I experienced or the ones that brought me the most joy. Here’s an example from my journal from this past Thursday:

Sight: Dark, gloomy overcast. Wet asphalt. Tiny raindrops on the passenger seat window. 

Smell: Orange citrus from my vitamins. Potent, nauseating, artificial.

Taste: Curry tofu, sweet and spicy, rich, crispy. soft, chewy potatoes. Savory, satisfying. 

Touch: My boyfriend’s 5 o’clock shadow. Prickly, comforting, endorphin-releasing, lovely.

Sound: Autumn Lo-Fi Jazz I play at work to concentrate. Soothing, familiar, easy. 

This technique helps me describe sensations in more detail, easing my transition from journal writing to creative writing. It also helps me stay present and appreciate all of the wonderful things happening around me, which is definitely needed in a world like today’s. 

love love love curry tofu in the fall.

Some other prompts can help you think more outside the box. If you need a creative spark that’s going to really turn some heads, consider getting a journal prompt book, which is available online and in stores for cheap. You can also find prompts on the internet and use those once a week or month for your journaling practice. Some examples include:

  • Make a list of questions you would ask a future version of yourself. Which version would you want to speak with the most?
  • Choose a random object in your room. What characteristics do you have in common with it, metaphorically and physically?
  • Invent an impossible tool that would make your life more efficient or interesting.
  • Imagine you get the chance to be any animal for a day. Which animal would you pick, and what would you do?
  • If you could visit the past, where would you go, and what would you do there?

Another popular way to unlock your creative expression is to free write. This is a technique where you time yourself and write down whatever comes to mind without pausing to think or erase anything. I often free write with a time limit of five minutes, although it’s not uncommon to lengthen your session. Sometimes when I read over my free-write, it is purely gibberish and more of a stream-of-consciousness than anything. Other times, I realize there is a pattern of thought going on in my brain, and that pattern might be a good topic to explore in my writing. 

Let’s not forget that journaling is a form of creativity in itself. Annie Ernaux, a French writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2022, published her diary entries as a collection titled “Getting Lost.” The book was listed as one of the best books of 2022 by the BBC and a must-read by Time. It is a favorite of mine for its honest portrayal of emotional vulnerability.

Overall, there are a ton of ways to participate in journaling as a means of creative expression. You may need to try a few to see which ones work the best for you, but once you find your niche, you’re sure to flourish.  

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Brenna Sheets is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Writing and Publishing M.A. program. She is currently a teacher, specializing in middle school history. Her hobbies include going on long walks, watching bad television, reading, and writing.

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Why Journal, Anyway?

Monday, September 16th, 2024

I consider my first journal entry to be a Tumblr draft I wrote at 14 years old. I remember being vaguely frustrated with my friends, with being a freshman in high school, and with feeling unironically superior to everyone around me (teen angst if you will). In the stairwell of my mom’s old run-down Miami apartment—the paint peeling and the mold accumulating by the second—I took out my phone. Tears in my eyes and cheeks flushed, I began typing a blog post about how incredibly annoying everything and everyone was. I knew I wouldn’t post it, but I just wanted to lift what seemed like the weight of the world off my chest. Putting all my frustration into a Tumblr post also made me feel like I had some kind of control: I could, if I really wanted to, post it and tell my friends to screw all, or I could save it as a draft, hold onto it in case I ever felt like it was worth someone else’s eyes.

Photo of me (16) taken by my sister on my high school football field.

Luckily, my anger subsided once I finished writing, and I saved the post as a draft. From that moment on, I created a habit out of what I would now deem journaling. I wrote in my Tumblr drafts every time I had intense emotions, opinions I was too afraid to speak, or ideas I wanted to contemplate in secret. I felt like I was building a world from within myself that also existed outside of me. I was able to process my life through writing, and it helped me with all the raging emotions and confusion of my teenage years. The first person to lay eyes on the details of my first kiss was not a person at all, but rather my drafts. I felt like I had power over my life via recording the most major and minor details of it. 

The day I turned away from my Tumblr journal was the day I accidentally posted a draft, and that draft just so happened to include a rather repugnant, word-vomit rant about a close friend of mine (“She’s just like, soooo whatever”). I had gotten so comfortable with the idea of sharing my inner thoughts in my drafts that I forgot about the possibility of them becoming public. Once posted, I quickly deleted the journal entry, but my stomach was in knots, and a wave of guilt tackled me for how ill I had talked about my friend, how hurt she would be if she saw it. From then on, I moved my drafts to a Pages document on my laptop, which I put a passcode on. By the time I graduated high school, my Pages document, which I titled “The Drafts,” had accumulated 250,000 words.

A photo from my first visit to the Boston Public Library, 2016.

When I started my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida, I moved on to pen and paper. Many times I found myself on campus, itching to write and with a dead laptop, so I started scribbling on engineering paper the Reitz would reluctantly give me. This prompted me to buy a notebook, and then another, and then another. I know all too well how cathartic and romantic it is to hold your thoughts and feelings in your hands.

I have since lost the coming-of-age treasure that was The Drafts in the midst of life falling apart and putting itself back together, as it sometimes does. I do, however, have my physical journals from the last 5 years of my life. It is a privilege—and a cringe fest, to re-read them. Know always that if you decide to start journaling, no one can judge what you write but you, and even you shouldn’t judge the contents of your journal. It’s a safe space for you and only you, if that is what you wish. 

Now that I’m 24 years old and in graduate school, my intention for journaling changes day by day. Sometimes I journal for emotional processing and release, other times I journal just to have something to look back on. No matter your reason for journaling, and no matter what platform you use, it can serve as a tremendous tool—it is always there whenever you need it. There’s no right or wrong reason to journal; if you have a reason at all, that’s enough to get you started. 

What better place to get started on your journaling journey than Caffé Bene? Boston students get 10% off with their student ID!

Brenna Sheets is a graduate student in Emerson College’s Writing and Publishing M.A. program. She is currently a teacher, specializing in middle school history. Her hobbies include going on long walks, watching bad television, reading, and writing.

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My Body’s Intuition

Tuesday, July 16th, 2024

I grew up in a culture where being “overweight” was one of the worst things that could happen to you. Eating plenty of food without guilt was rare and starvation to lose the extra kilos was normal. By culture I don’t mean my country, I mean most of the world. After all, I grew up in the early 2000s when people would call Jennifer Aniston “fat.” Early 2000s JENNIFER ANISTON. 

Naturally, I developed a complicated relationship with food. When I was a teenager, my appetite was insatiable. I would eat more than any adult in my family and barely gain any weight. Some people would call me lucky while others warned that my body would eventually change, and I would need to control my food intake. The pleasure food gave me was always followed by an almost silent whisper of regret. Still, I continued to eat unbalanced food in abundance. Although I was skinny—underweight really—and my body was often described as beautiful and “desirable,” I remember that time as my most unhealthy years. I would get sick often, visiting urgent care at least once a month for respiratory issues; I would feel tired all the time and have no strength in my muscles. Above all else, I would look in the mirror and see fat sitting in places where there was none. I had body dysmorphia, and I wasn’t aware of what that was. 

Like it often happens when you emigrate, my life changed completely after I moved to the US, including my food habits. I don’t know if my body finally changed like people used to warn me or if this new country’s food was different, but after a month of eating endless American food, I finally gained some weight. And then I gained some more. I became aware of how much bigger I was from my time in Venezuela, and I started to freak out. Without understanding a thing about dieting, I simply did what I had learned from the women around me: I starved myself. I started eating only two meals a day, sometimes one. I would go on like that for a month, and then have a rampage of food intake the next. It became a cycle where my body weight fluctuated aggressively. Consequently, my health paid the price. I would continue to get sick constantly and feel weak. What I didn’t realize is that the symptoms were more severe during my starvation mode than when I would eat whatever I wanted. Still, both habits were damaging. 

When I finally decided to seek help, I had been meeting my extreme habits in the middle. I would skip one meal a day—often breakfast—and eat big portions for the remaining two. Although I wasn’t getting sick anymore, the sense of tiredness remained, and my weight was slowly increasing. Around the same time, I did a lot of unlearning about body weight and although I wasn’t comfortable with the extra pounds, I convinced myself that I was beautiful nonetheless. For the first time in my life, my biggest concern was how I felt, not how I looked. I wanted to feel energized and strong but, how could I accomplish this?

Food Tracker for my trainer. Noticing patterns.

I was lucky to have made friends with a very generous woman who was also a personal trainer who educated me about my food habits. She made me track two weeks of meals and pointed out my meal skips, uncontrolled snacking, and massive dinners. She showed me how the unbalanced meals—mostly consisting of carbs and fats—were partly the source of my tiredness. Additionally, she tracked my daily steps and exercise, which was near zero. With this information, we planned to increase my protein and vitamin intake and my workouts. Although strict, this plan was heavily based on my body’s intuition. My trainer helped me differentiate healthy cravings from my eating disorder. We did this by tracking my menstrual cycle, understanding that in certain weeks of the month, my body would crave more fatty and sugary meals and that this was okay. Slowly, the guilt I would feel after every meal disappeared. I created disciplined habits filled with compassion. By the end of our regiment, I had lost some weight, but the most important thing was that I felt the strongest I’ve ever been. I barely had stomach problems or got sick, and I had the energy necessary to go through my day.

I would change the “but” for “and” because you can listen to both. Both are right.

It’s been a year now since I learned about my body’s intuition. It is still hard to fight my eating disorders which crave the “comfort meals” that ultimately harm my body. It is a battle I am still in, but I fight it with patience and lots of love for myself. My body weight continues to fluctuate, but how it is supposed to. It is normal to fluctuate between five to ten pounds, but I don’t really keep track. I measure my health not on the scale any longer; I do so with how my body reacts to exercise, with how energized I feel. It has been life-changing learning to listen to my body because it made me appreciate the wonderful things it does for me.


Every meal should be a “guilt-free” meal! Enjoy this delicious free cookie with your student ID

By Roxanna Cardenas

Roxanna is a Venezuelan writer living in New York City. Her works include essays, poetry, screenplays, and short stories. She explores fiction and non-fiction genres, with a special interest in horror and sci-fi. She has an A.A. in Writing and Literature and is working on her B.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration.


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Interview with Dr. Allan Sicignano of Spring St Chiropractic

Friday, February 9th, 2024

Have you ever wanted to learn more about health and the human body? Check out this Campus Clipper podcast episode with Dr. Sicignano– a chiropractor with 30 years of experience!

Campus Clipper interns discussing on the podcast!

Find the episode here and all recent episodes of the Campus Clipper podcast here

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Box Of Chocolates

Wednesday, October 11th, 2023

Dating is like a box of chocolates in the sense that if I were to only eat chocolate, I’d end up at the hospital with scurvy. 

Old halloween photos. Pretty accurate depiction of how I felt at this stage of my life.

When I first started dating at college I was so caught up in hiding myself. The buzz of putting on the perfect outfit, fixing my hair just right, doing my makeup just right. The anxious excitement waiting outside the fancy restaurants. I’d get a kick out of saying the right thing and always laughing at the right moments. Everything could be in control for those three hours. Everything could be perfect for those three hours. For the evening I was a hologram, projecting a lit up image with big white teeth and temporary charm. I was choosing the most volatile and unreliable part of my life to cling to for stability. Looking to twenty year old men for stability is like being surprised when you light a match in a room full of leaking propane.

I wasn’t eating any potatoes or protein. Both literally and metaphorically, my doctor had to berate me because drugstore ramen noodles are not a source of vitamin C or iron. Turns out the cause of my intense fatigue wasn’t much of a mystery to a professional or my mother, who I wasn’t calling enough either. Metaphorically, I was neglecting the other relationships in my life. Calling my parents made me feel weak. Hearing the voice of the person that kissed me goodnight for eighteen years made the ache in my knees feel more pronounced, and it made the dull pounding in my temple feel like an aneurysm. It was like forcing down unseasoned brussels sprouts. I didn’t want to be aware of how much I was struggling on my own or how much I wanted to be kissed goodnight still. 

Friendships also made me examine myself. Friends saw me anxiously biting my nails before class, and making a joke that nobody heard at dinner, or the time the rain made my eggs and milk fall through my grocery bag on second ave. My friends loved me all the same of course, but I couldn’t hide myself from them even if I wanted to. So I gave up Friday movie nights for candlelit dinners.

I was fixating on dating because it allowed me to craft such a limited image of myself. Who I was under under dim lighting with mellow music was much better than who I was in the harsh light of day. I was neglecting the relationships with people who actually loved me. I was neglecting relationships with inanimate parts of life, like my relationship to health. Preoccupied with trying to be pretty for men, I wasn’t considering that I could be taking pride in knowing my body was well looked after. My relationship to money was strained, in other words, I kept letting money leave my pocket. Most of all I just needed to call home. 

Going on like this made me physically ill. Life has a way of correcting itself though. The best cure for a lack of self-love is a heartbreak.

Don’t get scurvy and eat your greens, 10% off!

Olivia Sully is a Junior studying English Literature at New York University. Olivia spends most of her school and professional life writing and reading, but she likes to decompress with her paintings. 

 For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful ebooks, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2023.


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Chapter Four: Embracing My Cult

Monday, July 10th, 2023
Banshee Halloween party

My frisbee team is called the Brandeis Banshee, and we are a cult. 

Off the field, we host social events to bond and get to know each other a little better. There’s generally something every week, whether it’s a party or a group meal or something a little… odder. 

Everyone gets a special name—different from their real name—to go by on the frisbee field. On the day of the naming ceremony, I had to bring a list of things to “sacrifice” to the upperclassmen, including exactly 21 grains of rice and a sign from campus. It was very cold that night; I was shivering in my leather jacket as they led us in silence through the pitch black woods. After zigzagging our way up a winding, tree-rooted hill, myself and the other newbies were given fake names that the upperclassmen chanted all around the circle (let’s just say some of the names might not be appropriate to mention here). We drank the blood of the past Banshees (CapriSuns) and were sent on a scavenger hunt throughout campus where we had to take videos of ourselves doing questionable things. I had to re-enact the birth of our captain while the others had to do things like ask to take a sip of someone’s drink, sing karaoke in the campus center, and perform an orientation leader dance in one of our campus eateries. After all that embarrassment, we finally migrated to the captain’s apartment and received our real names! Mine was Apex, but I don’t get to know why until senior year (another tradition). 

It’s not all culty, though. We also have banquets where we present silly awards, costume parties, Mario Kart tournaments, and other fun events. We have another event where we all sit quietly around a fire and share our deepest thoughts and troubles, which is quite therapeutic.

Banshee talent show costumes

There’s also a wine & cheese night where we watch Ratatouille, the greatest movie ever made. Lunches venting about all of our problems. Chill afternoons tossing the frisbee on a beautiful day. Library study days that turn into hour-long chats. These people, they don’t just cheer for me on the field, they bring joy to my life every single day. 

One night, when I was a freshman, I was hanging out with some of the seniors. We played a word game for a while, talked, and made cookies. Remember when I talked about my insecurities and how I wasn’t sure if my friends actually wanted to hang out with me? I was a little skeptical that these seniors just felt bad since I was the one who asked if I could hang out. I’m not exactly sure how the words slipped out, but I asked if they liked hanging out with me or if I was annoying for asking them. My captain replied with: “Apex, I don’t think you realize how much you’re loved.” And I will remember that moment forever. It pierced my heart. More than a year later, after all these friends graduated, I still talk to them regularly and meet up to hang out, because these guys changed my life. Some of my closest friends at college are on this frisbee team, and I know I can count on them for anything. The game of frisbee is exciting, but even more important is having fun and making connections, even if it means engaging in weird cult-like activities. I am so grateful that I met these amazing people and found this amazing family.

Use this student discount to treat yourself!

By Agatha Edwards

Agatha Edwards is a rising junior at Brandeis University from Brooklyn, New York. She is majoring in health: science, society, and policy as well as psychology. She enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with her college team, going on runs, reading, writing, and binging TV shows. She enjoys exploring NYC and Boston with friends, especially where there are cute coffee shops involved.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Chapter Three: The Circle of Life

Thursday, July 6th, 2023
My frisbee team winning the spirit award at a tournament!

When I got the email saying that I had been nominated to be an administrator for my ultimate frisbee team, I was overwhelmed by intense emotions of excitement, pride, and anxiety. The Banshee Leadership Team, or BLT, is my college frisbee team’s group of captains and administrators. They oversee practice plans, tournament logistics, rostering players, and more. The biggest task may be bringing the positive spirit and energy to every team event, and being a reliable source of trust and confidence; to be a leader. 

A smile crept over my face as I read the email. I was chosen. Me, the quiet freshman with no experience in frisbee, had been recognized as a hardworking, dedicated member of the team. My improvement over the past four seasons had been noteworthy, and I was ready to take it to the next level. 

But was I really a leader? I was afraid to let people down. I always preferred to listen rather than take initiative, so that I had a clear set of directions to follow. Public speaking had never really been my strong suit, either. Sometimes, I don’t even answer phone calls because I’m scared to talk to the person on the other end. I was afraid that I was going to mess this administrator thing up and that people would question why I was in that position. I’m still learning the art of ultimate frisbee, too—though I’d significantly improved, there were plenty of teammates who were more skilled and I was worried that they might look down on me. 

I shouldn’t think that, because my team isn’t like that; we’re a family. It’s an issue I have with almost every social scenario. Doing group work for classes, I worry if I’m doing my part correctly. At work, I worry about whether my boss is going to fire me because I made a small error. Even while hanging out with close friends, I wonder if they really want to meet up with me or if they’re doing it out of obligation or because they can’t say no. 

I still have these intrusive thoughts, but I had to remind myself that being nominated was a good thing. A good thing. I talked to some of my teammates and they were nothing but encouraging. I didn’t have to have anything figured out at the time, and I was allowed to keep learning too. I had the entire team to back me, and not out of obligation—but out of their hearts—because I would do the exact same for them.

Old and new Banshee leadership!

Though I’m new on this journey, I’ll do my best to make my frisbee team better. I want to serve this community and give back joy and confidence which was instilled in me by past leaders. Without the incredible teammates who rooted for me, even when I made mistakes, I wouldn’t have found the courage to continue finding my passion for the sport. I have had special moments with all of my past captains and administrators, all of whom have helped me to grow, but two of them really stand out. One of my captains from my freshman year would always high five me and hype me up. She really made practice fun and helped me to open up. That same year,  one of the administrators helped me learn how to throw a flick and was very patient and supportive of me. Now, I get to be that person for other newcomers and help them find their love for frisbee. It’s the circle of life. I’m proud of myself for getting to this point and excited to take on the challenges ahead.


Use this student discount to treat yourself to some ice cream!

By Agatha Edwards

Agatha Edwards is a rising junior at Brandeis University from Brooklyn, New York. She is majoring in health: science, society, and policy as well as psychology. She enjoys playing ultimate frisbee with her college team, going on runs, reading, writing, and binging TV shows. She enjoys exploring NYC and Boston with friends, especially where there are cute coffee shops involved.



For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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