Greetings! I’ve been wildly sick these last few days, and also doing a wild amount of work. Honestly, my worst nightmare is not being able to sleep because of sickness, and I got to live that nightmare this past Saturday. Not fun at all.
Regardless, I feel a little better today. I’ve been drinking a lot of tea–as I usually do–and that has been helping. I recommend chamomile for any ailment, and Ivan chai for stomach issues (a Russian tea, it does wonders).
On a more positive note, life is pretty good right now. I’m continuing the seemingly endless grind for my CS IA, and I have started studying for the math, physics, and cs IB exams for this coming May. I feel like if I start small and study for longer it is much more sustainable, and I believe I won’t suffer extreme burnout this way either.
I’ve also been hitting the gym, which is a new experience for me because I was never a physically active person, nor was I interested in working out. I do love tennis and badminton, though. Anyway, I try to go 3/7 days a week, mostly Fridays and weekends because there’s too much to do during the weekdays and I do not feel like leaving my house at 7:30 to come home closer to 9:30 feeling terribly exhausted (at least not every day).
But as it turns out, I really like working out! I don’t have a problem with getting myself to pack up and go to the gym, and when I get there I immediately hit my stretches before doing a 30 minute walk on an incline. My knees are too weak to run, but walking on an incline for 30 without a break is actually surprisingly intensive, and honestly more rewarding than running on and off for 45. I like to listen to podcasts while I walk, and lately I’ve been listening to general life advice stuff from a fantastic person named Amy Wang.
After the cardio I like to focus on my arms. When I started going too hard on my legs I didn’t like their change in shape (just personal preference, I know it is muscle forming but I’m not a fan of the look), so I’m now focusing on my arms/back when I go. I wish I could say exactly what machines and exercises I do, but I can’t remember their names. All I know is I’ve definitely gotten more defined muscles on my arms and back along with upper body strength, a big plus for the set building season coming up.
I need to start reading some new books. I’ve been stuck on The Art of Thinking Clearly, and actually after I finish this blog I’m going to order the other books I’ve been wanting. One of them is on stoicism, which is a somewhat controversial philosophy in the day of immediate and strong reactions to events. However, I genuinely believe we’d all be happier people if we learn the ability to become flexible like water, emotionally and mentally. But it would be cool if it was physical, too.
Back to what I said at the beginning, life is good. I’m excited for college interviews coming up, and I’m ready to do more after my CS IA is over, possibly learn a video game engine…? However, the IA needs to be finished first. You may be thinking, “how is studying and working your definition of ‘life is good’?” There comes a point where you realize you need to study and work anyway, so why not do it happily? The only way left to go is forward, and we should enjoy the journey.
Peace!
-Maria °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°