There are so many things that i'm looking forward to in post-quarantine life: going out with my friends, playing sports again, being able to actually hug my friends and extended family, and going for a nice long run without having to zigzag around as many people as possible. But those activities are all just fun and games; when I think about how fast paced my life will be again after quarantine, it almost gives me a mini heart attack! Going from school to playing three different sports in a row and then coming home at 11pm to finish all my homework for the next day is usually a challenging task for me. Especially when I have to stay mentally present for the entire day without a rest (except for when I take that one nap in an anonymous class). Having said that, I actually enjoy a busy schedule because it keeps structure in my life and being able to do all these activities along with school is definitely not something to complain about. But my time in quarantine has honestly given me a new appreciation for being able to slow things down and just take a deep breath. Since everything had suddenly come to a temporary stop, I've been able to acquire a few new skills. I have learned how to cook (and I really hope i'm not the only human my age who just learned how an oven works), I have become an adequate gamer, I've done some artwork, and I've actually started playing all my instruments again. I know it’s unrealistic to want this much time on my hands post-quarantine. And I can’t wait to have freedom to be out in the world again because if it’s like this for much longer then i'll probably start to go insane. But at the end of the day, what I really want is more balance throughout my days. I want more room to breathe and to slow down so that I can savour the moments, and be focused on the present time.
So instead of just surviving this quarantine, I want to learn from it and embrace it. It’s a new experience to all of us and I think that it’s important to try and find the good that's come from this and to really be able to appreciate everything we have especially during these hard times. Brianna J
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Have you ever wondered how things in your life can be at an all time high one moment, and then suddenly feel like you have hit rock bottom the next? From time to time, we crash. I know, from personal experience, this overwhelming feeling of helplessness, during these times of unpredictability. I often find myself emotional and my brain overwhelmed with uncertain outcomes. How do I move forward? Then I realize that although I am presently dealing with these issues, I have the ability to find a solution. I need to persist in the face of these issues in order to find the solution. The solution is ‘stamina’. Stamina is the ability to sustain prolonged physical and/or mental effort. This struggle of building stamina is ultimately what will help us succeed and achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. It can get you through challenges. Through it, we can figure out who we want to be. With stamina comes the increased ability to persevere. As is true of all things with anything worth having, developing stamina takes time, effort and most importantly, maintaining a balance. Once we understand the importance of balance, we can focus both on the time it takes to build stamina and the effort involved in building it. It may not be smooth sailing, but with effort, it is achievable. There are two components that are critical in terms of building stamina: one is maintaining physical health and the other is caring for emotional well being. Physical health is critical for our overall well-being. Our body was made for us to wake and to sleep. In order to restore and repair our bodies and to wake up the next morning renewed and repaired, we must sleep. This is a constant cycle. At times when we put our bodies under great stress, there is a point at which our bodies simply cannot function anymore. Our bodies get too tired -- a state that cannot simply be resolved with sleep. We should never underestimate recovery because in order to push ourselves, we must recover and restore. Our bodies tell us what they need. Bodies love to be hydrated and do not need counterfeit (sugar, caffeine) energy. Health Line has lots of information that tells exactly what our bodies needs to eat. Being able to eat in order to sustain glucose levels that are required for having energy for a full day, requires regular eating and foods with protein. But our bodies need more than just to be fed, they also need physical activity. NHS recommends ages 5-18 year olds get a minimum of 60 mins of physical activity per day. I cannot stress enough the importance of this. Some get their exercise through sports or dance, but for those we are not interested in breaking a sweat everyday, there are many alternatives. Even going for a 60 min walk makes a difference. In today's society, we multitask in order to complete our many jobs. We strive to achieve goals and the thought of failing may prevent us from giving up but overworking is unhealthy. When our emotional and mental state becomes overworked, we become overwhelmed. Humans need time to think and to rest. It is good to remember that being more efficient is better. Having many tasks at once is not bad as long as we know how to handle them. We must remember to give our bodies and our brains rest.
Physical balance, emotional and mental balance are crucial in building stamina. Whether we are aware or not, we are in a constant challenge with ourselves. Do not give up - eat, exercise, rest. While we are building good habits we are also building stamina. Do not overwork yourself -- give your brain time to think, listen to your body -- remember that we need recovery, and learn to maintain balance in your life. Not only will you build stamina, you will grow! Anna R Today’s world has conditioned many of us {especially our technological ones } to believe we can instantly have whatever we want, however we want it, whenever we want it, right now! From lightning fast internet speeds to the instant downloading of movies and books, everything is either available now or within milliseconds. Unfortunately, success isn’t available on demand or instantly downloadable. for most of us we have to work hard and put lots of time and effort into it. Author Malcolm Gladwell once said it takes roughly ten thousand hours to master anything and personally I believe that that's what it takes to be the best at something. But if you just want to be good at something it takes a lot of practice still to get to that level, some people are gifted in this area and go on to be great athletes and go to the olympics sometimes. Everyone needs an inspirational leader to follow. The world is overflowing with information. The world is dying for inspiration. This is why it is so important for leaders to be a breath of fresh air each time they enter a room. Robert Greene said “Mastery is not a question for genetics of luck, but of following your natural inclinations and the deep desires that stirs from within.” I agree in every way with what he says, true mastery comes from within. Balance in life is key because if you don't have balance you fall down. Balance can keep you in line with life balance isn't just walking in a straight line or staying upright in your boat, it also is within you, it helps you think, it helps you stay focused, and it helps with working. The way it helps you is by keeping your mind on the task at hand. Mastery and balance are key in being a great leader. Balance helps when you are in a tough situation and keeps you calm and thinking of ideas. Mastery helps by mastering the art of being a good role model and responsibility helps you show up and and be the person that all the people following you want to be, they want you to be yourself. These will help either in leadership roles stepping up in a time of crisis or leading a business. There are many uses for mastery of certain things and balance like when someone is injured and you are the one who remains calm and helps the person get to the hospital. mastery and balance are like climbing a mountains. You need to know where to go, know where you are and patients to get to the top. Some examples I have of mastery and balance are from Julius Caesar and one of his quotes “experience is the teacher of all things” This quote just goes to say that it takes time to be the best and Julius Caesar became the best at what he did by learning over time and experiencing things through time and knowledge. Another example of mastery and balance are from Abraham Lincoln when he said “ You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.” This quote shows mastery and balance because he says that deception can only last so long and if you try and fool everyone, someone is bound to find out about it. It also shows great leadership by not trying to deceive the people of America but tell them what could happen if someone was to lie to all of them he would inform them of that and that he would not keep secrets from his great country. They all have the same thing in common, they all were great leaders and had balance within them.
Jacob E |
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