Where to Live??

As a recent college graduate, I obviously am in the midst of trying to land a job. The days of securing a permanent position while still cramming for finals seems to have ended. Or, at least I wasn't one of the lucky ones. So not only am I running obsessively to try and ease the anxiety that has taken over my mind, body and soul, I am researching the best places to live. This may be adding to my level of stress, but hey it is kind of enjoyable to pretend for just a minute I may actually get a job in a city I actually want to live.

However. The cost of relocating is not an economically wise decision when student loans are looming and job security, like the economy, is not stable. Two years ago moving to Southern California to pursue a master's degree seemed like an intelligent and feasible task. Feasible, yes. I did receive yet another diploma, but question if the acquisition of a student loan was high on the intelligent side. I am a firm believer that education is an investment, so my sleepless nights are not drenched in regret. The thought of not finding a job coupled with the desire to once again relocate is.

In my quest to cripple anxiety, I found a handy little quiz to take to shed light on the value of relocating for a job opportunity. Honestly, my tenacity will not allow me to sit still in one place for long without achieving any goal. Therefore despite the end result of this quiz, I will move ANYWHERE to begin my career. Well, Alaska may be crossing the line. I'm not sure how I would adjust to constant light. Morning is not the best time of day for me, I'm an accomplished night owl.

Take the quiz. If not to solely entertain a fantasy.

http://careerplanning.about.com/library/weekly/quizzes/bl_relocation_quiz.htm

Free Fuel

So food. Yes, we all have to eat. The problem is, as a runner and a nutrition freak, I've found myself feeling deprived and quite possibly malnourished. My mother always told me it is okay to eat whatever you like as long as it is in moderation. Easy for her to say. This women can be craving chocolate, take a bit of a Snickers bar and save the rest for later. And, by later I mean days, weeks, months. My obsession with food began long ago, when as a child my all-time favorites included: french fries, cinnamon and sugar bagels, blow-pops, starbursts, skittles, all hell ANY candy.... My diet literally consisted of ALL carbs, and not the good kind. If I had not been an athlete, I would have easily weighed in close to 200 pounds. The one and only reason I gave up Pop Tarts was because I had the brilliant idea of consuming a few prior to basketball practice. Not one of my best ideas.

We always talk about how the media is to blame for eating disorders in our youth. Well, I am almost positive as a twenty-something female living in the heart of Hollywood, I have a issue with food and arguably in a good way thanks to the media's portrayal of how you can look and feel better by being on the thinner side. No, I do not force myself to throw-up, nor do I starve myself, but I do consume the same foods on a daily basis. If it wasn't for women who may or may not take care of their bodies to be on the cover of Self, Fitness or Runner's World, I very well may be suffering from diabetes instead of a lack of diversity in my diet.

There are many things I need to work on when it comes to food. I am WELL aware of all the foods that are good for me, and those that are not. The issue is, my obsession has caused me to fail at allowing myself to consume the foods that I know could improve my running, mood, sleep patterns, even give me added definition in my abs! I simply cannot wrap my head around eating normally. There has to be a happy medium. There has to be a way I can mentally find it acceptable to eat apples, watermelon and grapefruit. This obsession has put a damper on my ability to socially dine out once in awhile. I simply will not eat something if I do not know EVERY single ingredient.

I would kill for a slice of pizza right now. My favorite food is 100% french fries. I crave Mediterranean food ALWAYS. This particular craving is one that is on the healthy side, but God forbid I allow myself to consume grilled chicken or hummus. I can't tell you the last time I ate any of the above.

I have been called the energizer bunny, told I probably train harder than some professional athletes and run excessively without ever setting foot at a starting line. So, why can I not just eat. I try to keep up with proper nutrition literally. This is no use without actually utilizing the knowledge. I even go as far as telling my family what not to eat.

In the end, I may have ran 9 miles today and rode my bike everywhere (I do not have a car), but I will not let myself enjoy a nice slice of pizza! Ugh, the give and take of trying to be on the cover of a magazine. I do take my hats off to those ladies. At least I am not part of the obesity epidemic.

Remedy Your Life

Lately my life is consumed with trying to find a job. A recent graduate, former three job holder and full-time student has left me in a constant state of panic with an overwhelming amount of free time. Second guessing myself concerning the choices I've made is a ritual my mind has developed. No amount of self-talk is helping. It seems my mind has a mind of its own.

There are countless articles, peer reviews, life coaches, motivational speakers and books out there in this media crazed world to help those just like me (God please let me not stand alone) to become the 1 in 10 Americans suffering from depression. First, happiness is a state of mind. Yes, I can be happy and also have a panic attack. Truthfully speaking, it is quite possible I should be worrying more than I am. I mean, I do have student loans since I just HAD to get my masters. I do have to pay rent, bills and ya know eat from time to time despite what many friends may think. Yes, I do eat. It's simple, I refuse to let matters that are not in my control depict my attitude, well-being or sense of accomplishment. No one, and I mean no one, is going to bring me down. Okay, I'm self-talking again. Budda would be pleased.

So now with my agonizing amount of free time, I will be productive. Setting new goals, relishing in my many blessings and consistently oozing positiveness is just an alternative lifestyle I must become accustomed to.

The newest goal added to my Bucket List, yes everyone should have one (thanks Jack), is to continue my education further to obtain my PhD. I have lived in Michigan, New York and California, so now onto the next city of my choosing. I see Texas or Colorado in my future. I believe education is an investment, so another student loan is a means to an end.

There are so many things I want to learn still. My goal in life is to help people. Help people to be the very best that they can be. Possibly a fault, but I would rather buy for others, give money away, spend time volunteering and research ways to build awareness of issues effecting all Americans in some way shape or form, than live a lavish lifestyle surrounded by more bedrooms than I need, a car that could feed thousands for weeks or wear enough bling to light a small town.

Most of my family and friends, and even acquaintances I see frequently, would say I am a health freak and obsessive runner. A friend once told me I may train harder than pro athletes. BEST. COMPLIMENT. EVER. No matter the time, place, amount of energy or feeling, a workout always makes me feel better. I heard on the radio the other day that if you are feeling a little sluggish, it has been found that if you simply step outside for 10 minutes you will be re-energized. No surprise there. It has been well known for years the power of natural sunlight. I can't tell you the last time I took a Tylenol or filled a prescription. Everything that happens to your body can be cured through natural substances. If we take anything from other cultures, it should be some of their ways of practicing medicine. Heck, look at their lifespans, waistlines and emotional states. I'm positive any faults occurring are do to their Americanized practices.

Why would anyone want to follow in our footsteps? The media has control over us, and they know it. Just look at the pharmaceutical industry, Big Tobacco and the advertising industry. Tune into your local news for stories the networks only want us to know. One minute butter is good for you, the next it causes cancer. Commercials are used to brainwash those who view into believing their doctor's prescription can cure anything with a magic little pill that will come with side effects. Don't worry there's another pill for that.


Remedy number one: break a sweat everyday. Trust me you will feel better. Remedy number two: throw away sugar. You will have the energy to actually sweat without calapsing and the headaches will go away. Remedy number three: drink water. It will rid your bodies of toxins that cause everything your trusty doctor's salary depends on. Three simple little procedures to follow everyday will change your life for the better. Anxiety you say? Make a list, put it aside and then re-read it. What are you really worried about and why does it matter? Remember there are millions of people who can't even make that list.

With the abundance of free time I have been recently blessed with, it is now my undying quest to find a job where I will build awareness to the lifestyles Americans have been accustomed to. These very lifestyles that are leading to obesity, depression and horrific dependence upon technology and the media for facts. Free time scares mist people. Free time means your mind is able to actually think about the matters in life that are meaningful. Free time means there is a lack of tasks that have previously prevented the mind from truly thinking about what the Land of the Free has done to revolutionize human thought and actions. The Land of the Free is a scary place. My mind will not let me escape the knowledge that the American way of life is trivial.

Inhale, Exhale. Repeat.

Why is it so hard to live each day to the fullest? How many times has this how-to methodology been told, over and over again? If only everything was as easy to do as to say. I blame the evolution of the 21st century American lifestyle . Honestly, most of the time I love it. Need it. Crave it. Welcome to the wonderful world of being a workaholic. The problem is, most of us are out of work.

Research has shown that people on average, spends 98% of the waking time in thinking about the past or the future and only 2 % in the present. A workaholic spends 99% of the time mentally planning and thinking about the future tuning out the here and now. Thus, only 1 % of the time is divided between the present and the past. Well then, I have issue with us all.

Thinking about the future is spoken to us from birth. We fortunate Americans are taught forward-thinking as a second language. First, we must speak, crawl, walk and chew by a certain age. Second, we must recite, write, sing our abc's and read by another. Third, we systematically are unconsciously placed into little boxes securing the future of our adolescent years by membership as jocks, artists, computer geeks, mean girls or dark ones. Now it comes, the age old question, what do you want to be when you grow up? The fate of our future is not one we were meant to decide prior to being given the freedoms afforded to us centuries ago.

As American's youth we are constantly reminded about the next step. We can't wait to reach double digits, be the oldest in our school, learn how to drive, decide where to go to college or graduate. The problem is once you get there, now what. In all our 18 years, not one person has taught us to just relax. Possibly one of the many reasons the pharmaceutical industry has taken it into their hands to rectify the anxiety levels in 3 year-olds. So instead of being taught how to control our own emotions, deal with a bad day now and again, believe in the power of each and every day, we're given a tiny little pill. By the time we're allowed to vote, our pill boxes have become more important than our water bottles. In a split second we are herded off to college, forced to declare a major, once again divided into those lovely little groups, some blessed with the luxury of not quite yet learning how to budget and now again yearning for another piece of paper.

With all this preparation, ocean of knowledge, statistics on what your major can do for you in the future and decades of various reformations thrown at us, now we are all suppose to want just as we did 4 years or so ago. So go get it. Get a job, get married and have babies.

Trouble is, after years of being judged by our plans for tomorrow with carefully laid milestones along the way to keep our freewill on track, some of us just can't sleep at night. I have absolutely no clue where I am going to be in 5 years. I know where I want to be, I know what I've done to prepare myself to get there. How could I not? This logic has been edged in my mind since I opened my mouth and said "Dog", when I was suppose to say "Mommy".

When is the appropriate time to stop and smell the roses? How do you teach yourself after years of waiting for the next step to do so? Why is not okay to be single still at 30? Just who are these people who've created this path we all must follow or be shunned? Is this the American way of life? It has become wrong to be independent. Then again, it always has.

A recent study found that one in 10 Americans are depressed, and one in 30 meet the criteria for major depression, with the rate higher among the unemployed and those who can't work. Shocking. As Americans we live for our work, literally. Our stance in society depends on what we do, how much money we make and if we've taken a vacation in the past decade. Those of us with labels, Beemers and roll over vacation time are the fortunate ones.

Welcome to workaholics anonymous. Now stuck in the depression box, health care to the rescue. Now, as adults we are medically unstable because we haven't learned to feel okay with the eroding chosen path paved from birth, edged in our minds during our adolescents and molded with adulthood. It's alright, we never truly had a choice. Just ask your local doctor you now have to see to simply get your money's worth.